it doesn't happen very often, but every once in a while, an anime will come around that i can recommend without the usual anime caveats. so congratulations great pretender, you're joining the ranks of such greats as acca-13, ping pong, and that's it!

not much to say about this show besides "it's good". if you like heists and conmen, you'll love this. great pretender didn't have to be an anime; i think it would've worked pretty well as live-action (something it has in common with acca 13), but the fact that it's animated helps you suspend your disbelief enough to buy into laurent's harebrained schemes. the stylized cityscape backgrounds are also incredible.

the show currently has 14 episodes out on netflix, split into 3 cases of 4-5 episodes each, so watching an entire con from start to finish takes about the same time as a movie. each case delves into the background of one of the main characters, and ends with that character experiencing a kind of closure about a traumatic event from their past. it's basically therapy by way of scam.

i think there's a second season in the works but unfortunately this show is on netflix so it'll be like 10 years before we can see it outside japan.

an aside: i'm not gonna write a post about it so lemme just borrow some space to recommend acca-13. do you like shows about political intrigue but think they're just a little too stressful? acca-13 is here to solve that problem. it is the chillest show ever made about a political conspiracy. also bread.